Miscellaneous hardware (e.g. – bushing – carpet fastener – caster – Hinge – Including means to hold or retard hinged members against...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-14
2001-11-20
Knight, Anthony (Department: 3626)
Miscellaneous hardware (e.g., bushing, carpet fastener, caster,
Hinge
Including means to hold or retard hinged members against...
C016S380000, C016S381000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06317928
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to hinges for door or window, more particularly it relates to a lockable hinge device of the type comprising two hinge flaps pivotally connected together by means of a hinge pin.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A typical hinge device for door and window comprises a female flap and a male flap with interfitted knuckles pivotally connected to each other by means of a hinge pin. A drawback with such a prior art hinge device is that once it is assembled and operatively installed on a door or on a window assembly, it is very easy for an intruder to dismantle such a hinge and to remove the door or window by simply pushing the hinge pin out of the knuckles. The hinge pin of such prior art hinge device also has a tendency to slightly come out of the knuckles by itself under the effect of the pivoting movement of the flaps.
Many attempts have been made in prior art to develop a security hinge that would overcome those drawbacks. However none of those prior attempts had proven to give a satisfactory solution. Hence, the security hinges developed in prior art are generally either complex and expensive to manufacture and/or inadequate, ineffective. Examples of such prior art attempts are given by example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,188,686; 3,621,512; 3,733,649; 3,969,788; 4,116,514; 4,135,273; 4,385,418; 4,864,692; 5,337,453; 5,666,695; and 5,711,053.
Thus, there is still a need for an adequate lockable security hinge that will be inexpensive to manufacture and thus cost-effective.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is therefore to propose a lockable hinge device that will satisfy these above-mentioned needs. A main object of the present invention is to propose a lockable hinge device providing an unlock position when its flaps are at 0° so as to allow the easy insertion of a hinge pin onto said hinge during the mass manufacturing of door assemblies.
It is also an object of the present invention to propose a lockable hinge device that will be difficult and even impossible to remove once installed on the structures to be hinged together according to one aspect of the invention. This device will thus prevent burglars and intruders to easily remove the hinges of a door or a window.
According to the present invention, these objects are achieved with a lockable hinge device of the type having:
a female flap and a male flap for attachment to structures to be hinged together and having interfittable knuckles defining together a passageway; and
a hinge pin insertable into the passageway to pivotally connect the female flap to the male flap.
The hinge device is characterized in that the female flap has a first outermost knuckle and a second outermost knuckle. At least one of these first and second outermost knuckles has a longitudinal slot extending through the entire length thereof. The male flap has a knuckle with an outer edge adjoining an inner edge of the at least one of the first and second outermost knuckles of the female flap. That outer edge has a cut thereon. The flaps are thus pivotable between an unlock position where the cut is in an aligned relationship with the slot and a lock position where the cut is in an unaligned relationship with the slot.
The hinge is further characterized in that the hinge pin has along its length a tooth projecting therefrom. That tooth is sized to freely slide in the slot and to fit entirely in the cut, thereby allowing the hinge pin to be inserted in the passageway while the flaps are pivoted in the unlock position with the slot guiding the tooth up to the cut to sit therein, and then as the flaps are pivoted in the lock position, the tooth sitting in the cut is caused to slide under the inner edge of the at least one of the first and second outermost knuckles of the female flap, thereby locking the hinge pin in the passageway.
In a first preferred embodiment, the slot and the cut are located respectively on the at least one of the first and second outermost knuckles of the female flap and on the outer edge of the male flap so that the flaps are at more than 0° angle, and preferably at less than 180°, to each other in the unlock position. More preferably, the flaps are in the unlock position while the female flap is at right angles with the male flap.
In another preferred embodiment, the slot and the cut are located respectively on the at least one of the first and second outermost knuckles of the female flap and on the outer edge of the male flap so that the flaps are at 0° angle to each other in the unlock position. Also preferably, both of the first and second outermost knuckles of the female flap have such a longitudinal slot extending through the entire length thereof, whereby, in use, either one of the first and second outermost knuckles may be set on top.
As can be appreciated, a lockable hinge device according to the present invention provides a simple and inexpensive mechanism to prevent anyone to easily remove hinges of a door, for example, and open the same.
REFERENCES:
patent: 353007 (1886-11-01), Schubert
patent: 618086 (1899-01-01), Haase
patent: 737360 (1903-08-01), Daly
patent: 1030801 (1912-06-01), Berault
patent: 3188686 (1965-06-01), Orcutt
patent: 3621512 (1971-11-01), Johnson
patent: 3733649 (1973-05-01), Nagy et al.
patent: 3969788 (1976-07-01), McCullough
patent: 4116514 (1978-09-01), Lawrence
patent: 4135273 (1979-01-01), Holmes
patent: 4385418 (1983-05-01), Loftis et al.
patent: 4864692 (1989-09-01), Prevot et al.
patent: 5337453 (1994-08-01), Bargesser
patent: 5666695 (1997-09-01), Jergers et al.
patent: 5711053 (1998-01-01), Hafner
Knight Anthony
Peavey Enoch E.
St. Onge Steward Johnston & Reens LLC
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